Another Life
by The Mocking J
Summary: When a stranger passes by, Luke is forced to remember an old friend. [Azran Legacy spoilers]


**[[**_**This was written for the February prompt for the Azran Emissary Group on Deviantart. The prompt word was **_**"Duty" **_**and the sentence was: **_**"Just a construct. That's all she was. Nothing more." **_**I know this is written from Luke's pov and I suck at using prompts but I legitimately teared-up when writing this ;_; **_

**Spoilers: **_**FOR **__**AZRAN LEGACY**__**.**_

**Set: **_**After AL.**_**]]**

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**Another Life...**

Luke had just gone out to collect Professor Layton's letters like he did every morning. As he turned from the post box, a pushchair went past. The baby inside the stroller seemed cute, but there was nothing striking about him. Then, however, Luke noticed the person behind the pushchair... Or rather, he flat out _gawked_ at said person as if he was seeing a ghost. Luke knew it was impolite to stare. But all gentlemanly manners were forgotten in this moment of pure shock.

There was a pretty, willowy woman wearing a peach coloured dress and flat brown shoes. Simple enough, until Luke took into account her flowing golden hair, her ivory skin and her eyes. _Her big blue eyes... _

By the time Luke shook himself from his stupor, the lady was already walking down the road towards the local bus stop. The letters fell from Luke's hand and he started running. A small part of Luke warned him that the professor would be worried by his sudden disappearance_. _But surely the professor would understand. If there was a chance that _she_ was really here, alive and well...

Luke reached the stop just as a bus arrived. The blonde woman lifted the pushchair onto the vehicle, requesting a ticket from the driver.

_She still knew how to use buses...! _

"Haven't you seen a bus before, boy?" The driver snapped as Luke dawdled by the entrance. "Are you getting on or not?"

Muttering an apology, Luke quickly purchased a ticket. He sat behind the woman but didn't speak to her yet. Wasn't this against the law— stalking someone? But did it really matter if you thought you knew the person?

Several minutes later, the bus came to a residential street that wasn't unfamiliar to Luke. (Though, they definitely hadn't visited this area when _she_ was with them.)

Luke discreetly followed the mother with the baby as she left the bus. The woman evidently knew this street because then she entered one of the semi-detached houses. Thousands of questions strummed at Luke's mind:_ How long had she been here? When did she have a child? And most importantly, why hadn't she gotten in touch with him and the professor? _

The yearning to _know_ pulled on him like a hook. Taking a deep breath, Luke knocked the door before his nerve could fail him. The door opened. He was met with a pair of curious azure eyes. He gazed into their depths; searching for his old friend, for any glint of familiarity...

"Hello... Can I help you?" The woman's accent was distinctly English; there were no traces of the mystical Azran dialect she had possessed.

Luke swallowed, whispering, "A... Aurora— is that you?"

Confusion and concern crossed her face. "I'm sorry; you must have me mistaken for somebody else..."

Of course, she didn't recognise him as Luke had anticipated. It was nothing but a coincidence that she resembled Aurora. The dull ache of disappointment gnawed at his heart.

"Oh..." he sighed, "Sorry to bother you, then. It's just... You look so much like my friend did..."

The woman continued to study him in pity, when suddenly her eyes went wide. She gasped and covered her mouth, looking him up and down as if she only truly perceivedthe boy in blue now. "O-oh my goodness...! This... this is going to sound very strange, but I feel like I've seen you before..." (A hopeful spark rekindled within Luke.) "In... in a _dream _I once had..." The woman shook her head, not quite believing the notion herself. "I know we've never met... but w-would you like to come in for a bit?"

**-0-**

Her name was Laura Williams. She'd lived in England her entire life but had only recently moved to this part of London with her husband, Hans and her one year old son, Aaron. She even owned a cake shop in Kensington.

Laura and Luke sat in the family's living room while Aaron played on his baby mat. The room was coloured a pale orange. Though there was nothing directly linked to the ancient Azran culture, certain items caught Luke's eye. These included numerous paintings of the sea, a phoenix ornament on the windowsill, rare stones covering the mantelpiece (Laura explained that Hans collected them)... Could it be mere coincidence that they were all reminders of his adventure with Aurora?

Whatever the case, Laura possessed no memories of the Azran civilisation or their time together. All she recalled was a vision of walking along a beach with little boy in blue beside her, chatting about the ocean...

"_The ocean goes on forever. It makes me feel small, but at the same time peaceful. Is that strange?"_

"_Is this a new experience for you...?"_

"_I don't recall... So yes, it may well be." _

"_You should have a go at swimming! Really, it's a lot of fun!" _

After Laura shared her dream, Luke told her about his lost companion. He didn't mention the Azran or the emissary's role in unlocking their legacy, but he revealed everything that had made Aurora human, everything they'd loved about her. Her curiosity, her kindness, her conviction... Her tears, her laughter, her smile...

When he was finished, Laura's expression remained sad. (His description of Aurora hadn't stirred any recollections, then.) However, she whispered, "I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like Aurora was a wonderful person." She realized Luke was crying and came to place her hand over his. "And I bet she was extremely grateful to have a friend like you—"

At that moment, Aaron made a loud baby noise and crawled towards Luke's chair.

"We haven't forgotten _you_," Laura laughed, picking the infant up as he waved his tiny fists around. "He probably wants his bunny..."

"Bunny...?" Luke discovered he was sitting on a soft white rabbit toy. He passed the toy to Aaron, smiling now. "Here you go!" (Aaron cooed happily and devoured the bunny's head.)

When Luke noticed he'd nearly been here for an hour, he decided to leave before Professor Layton called out Scotland Yard on a search party. Laura and Aaron watched him board the bus back to Gressenheller. He waved to them through the window.

Luke understood that Laura was not the girl he had known. But it seemed apparent that in payment for her sacrifice, the Azran had granted Aurora's last wish. Somehow, she had been reborn as a human being with little to no memories of her previous life (except for the brief flashes of their friendship). Perhaps this was for the best; no longer was she burdened with the duty of the Azran people. She had been given her a fresh start, a chance to spend her existence however she pleased...

Layton was relieved to see Luke when he returned home, but admonished the boy for running off without any notice of where he was going. Then the professor was astounded when Luke informed him about meeting Laura.

"Do you really think Aurora was reborn, Professor?" Luke wondered wistfully.

"It does appear so, Luke. As we learned from Ambrosia, the Azrans were not strangers to the concept of reincarnation. I cannot begin to fathom how... but they have granted Aurora the life she deserved."

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_**[[I know 'Williams' might be a common English name, but that's kind of the point. However, the name Aaron means 'Enlightened' or 'Messenger' ;) And Laura's husband 'Hans' has nothing to do with the fact that I love the movie Frozen. *Shot*]]**_


End file.
